An Easy Way to Lose an Argument: Fallacious Fallacies Quiz

Fallacies make your arguments weak, and learning to avoid these reasoning failures can make you a better speaker and give you the edge over friends and family when it comes to winning a debate. Take our quiz to test your knowledge of fallacies forthright and subtle.

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Question 1 of 30

The tu quoque fallacy is also known by this name.

not-you

you-too

Tu quoque, or you-too, is a fallacy in which one dismisses an argument because the person making it doesn't practice what he preaches.

he-who

Question 2 of 30

Which of these is an example of tu quoque?

a drug addict who encourages drug use

a drug addict who hides his drug use

a drug addict who tells you to avoid drugs

If you dismiss the advice of a drug addict to tells you to avoid drugs, you are guilty of the tu quoque fallacy.

Question 3 of 30

Stealing someone's lunch because she stole yours is an example of this fallacy.

ad hominem

This is a type of ad hominem fallacy simply called "two wrongs make a right."

ad crumenam

ad consensus

Question 4 of 30

What does "ad hominem" mean?

to argue

by the book

to the person

Ad hominem means to the person. It applies to fallacies where an argument is dismissed because of the person making it, not because of the argument itself.

Question 5 of 30

What is another name for ad baculum?

scare tactic

Ad baculum, also known as scare tactic or appeal to emotion, is a type of fallacy in which an argument invokes fear or emotion.

anthropomorphism

equivocation

Question 6 of 30

If you fall down the stairs, you're out of shape. You're out of shape, so you're going to fall down the stairs. This is an example of …

denying the consequence

affirming the consequent

This is an example of the fallacy of affirming the consequent.

affirming the antecedent

Question 7 of 30

My mom smokes a pack a day, and she's super healthy. This is an example of …

circumstantial evidence

anecdotal evidence

This example uses anecdotal evidence to draw a conclusion. One example — an anecdote — is simply not a useful amount of evidence to support an argument.

quibbling

Question 8 of 30

Which of these is an appeal to authority?

There are aliens because NASA says so.

There are aliens because you can't prove they don’t exist.

There are aliens because my dad says so.

An appeal to authority is a type of fallacy which relies on an authority that isn't actually an expert in the field at hand. Your grandfather may be a great guy, but unless he's a bona fide rocket scientist, his thoughts on alien life don’t prove anything.

Question 9 of 30

Line-drawing occurs when an argument has this quality.

threats

passion

vagueness

Line-drawing, or bald-man fallacies, applies to arguments that are overly vague or nonspecific.

Question 10 of 30

If Hillary Clinton responds to questions about her email security with pictures of her grandchildren, she is …

avoiding the issue

Avoiding the issue is a fallacy in which one responds to questions with information unrelated to the topic at hand.

begging the question

quibbling

Question 11 of 30

What is ad crumenam an appeal to?

life

money

Ad crumenam arguments appeal to money — for example, suggesting that Donald Trump would be a good resident because he is wealthy.

emotion

Question 12 of 30

What is a fallacy called that assigns human qualities to inanimate objects?

fanciful

elaborate

pathetic

Pathetic fallacies assign human qualities to inanimate objects. Examples include a cruel storm or a car that hates you because it breaks down.

Question 13 of 30

Buying a Lexus because that's the car you've always bought before is an example of …

appeal to odds

gambler's fallacy

appeal to traditional wisdom

Doing something because that's what you've always done before is known as an appeal to traditional wisdom.

Question 14 of 30

An issue that distracts from a relevant argument goes by this color.

blue

red

A red herring is any issue that distracts listeners from a relevant argument.

green

Question 15 of 30

What is ad novitatem also known as?

gambler's fallacy

tokenism

appeal to novelty

An ad novitatem, or appeal to novelty, refers to the argument that something must be better because it's newer than something else.

Question 16 of 30

Which of these is NOT another name for a false dilemma?

false dichotomy

false front

A false dilemma — presenting someone with an unreasonably limited choice — is also known as a false dichotomy or a black-and-white argument.

black-or-white

Question 17 of 30

"Windshield wipers cause car accidents" is an example of this fallacy.

common cause

Both wiper use and car accidents increase when it rains, but just because these issues share a common cause doesn’t mean that one causes the other.

hypostatization

tokenism

Question 18 of 30

What is another name for an ad populum fallacy?

appeal to money

appeal to emotion

appeal to the people

An ad populum fallacy appeals to the people or attempts to support an argument by stating that it's what everyone believes, so it must be true.

Question 19 of 30

Arguing that a whole takes on the qualities of its parts is an example of this fallacy.

composition

A composition fallacy incorrectly assumes that a whole takes on the qualities of its individual components.

division

quibbling

Question 20 of 30

Which is an example of the composition fallacy?

I have two of these, so both must be the same.

These bricks are cheap, so the entire brick wall must be cheap to build.

Assuming that an entire brick wall is cheap to build just because one brick is inexpensive to buy is an example of composition fallacy.

This wall is strong, so each brick must be strong.

Question 21 of 30

Which of these is the opposite of composition fallacy?

multiplication fallacy

addition fallacy

division fallacy

Division fallacy — assuming each component of a whole takes on the properties of the whole — is the opposite of composition fallacy.

Question 22 of 30

What fallacy is nicknamed the "Disney fallacy"?

anthropomorphism

Disney fallacy is another name for anthropomorphism, or assigning human emotions to an animal.

equivocation

ad baculum

Question 23 of 30

Which of these is an example of anthropomorphism?

My dog knows I love him because he runs to greet me.

Your dog may be happy to see you, but he has no idea you love him — that's anthropomorphism at work.

Nature is cruel.

This copier hates me because it keeps jamming.

Question 24 of 30

Which of these fallacies involves switching the meaning of a term midargument?

red herring

equivocation

tokenism

If you incorrectly swap the meaning of a term midargument, you're guilty of equivocation.

Question 25 of 30

Believing a certain number is "due" in the lottery is an example of this fallacy.

gambler's fallacy

The gambler's fallacy involves thinking a random event or occurrence is due because it hasn't happened in a while. Each flip of a coin is completely independent and unrelated to any previous or future flips.

law of independent trials

economic fallacy

Question 26 of 30

Speaking of the universe or nature in concrete terms is an example of this fallacy.

ad hominem

hypostatization

Both nature and the universe are abstract, so if you speak of them in concrete terms, you are guilty of hypostatization.

quibbling

Question 27 of 30

Believing that a small typo negates an entire written argument is an example of this fallacy.

avoiding the issue

quibbling

Quibbling discounts an entire argument based on one small or minor detail, such as a typo.

appeal to authority

Question 28 of 30

Nostradamus believers are guilty of this fallacy.

false prophet

red herring

sharpshooter

The sharpshooter fallacy refers to arguments where one makes a large number of predictions, then claims victory when even one comes true.

Question 29 of 30

Claiming you're not cheap because you bought a round of drinks that one time is an example of this fallacy.

anthropomorphism

tokenism

One token gesture doesn't prove an argument, and buying one round of drinks last year doesn't prove your generosity.

ad crumenam

Question 30 of 30

"The devil made me do it" is an example of this fallacy.

unfalsifiability

This type of statement is a type of unfalsifiability. It's possible the devil did make you do it, but no one can prove it, so arguing that he did is a form of fallacy.